Minnesota Timberwolves: Takeaways From Media Day And Real Training Camp
By Aaron Mah
Like It Or Not, This Is Smitch’s Team
If there’s one definitive conclusion to take away from the first couple of days of Media Day and training camp, it is that this is unquestionably Sam Mitchell’s show — not a dumbed-down version of Flip’s vision, or a concoction of the two colleague’s philosophies; the former 2007 NBA Coach of the Year has full control over the direction of the team.
In fact, in an on-air interview with NBA TV, Timberwolves general manager Milt Newton stated, “At our owner’s strict directive, not to call him (Saunders), not to get in contact with him; give him a chance to recuperate and get better.”
On the other hand, Mitchell seems to have the eyes and ears of the Timberwolves, for now. It certainly helps Sam that he has the unwavering stamp of approval — aside from not wanting to hear him talk about Toronto — from the most respected man on the team in KG.
More explicitly, it is no secret that the two former teammates share a special bond, and as such, Garnett allows Mitchell to coach him — ala Tim Duncan with Gregg Popovich. Mitchell is also not afraid to stray away from his original plans, if Garnett suggests otherwise.
The best moments from their episode on Real Training Camp came with Mitchell encouraging/hyping KG through their various defensive drills, “You ain’t getting older, baby, you getting better!” and “He ain’t going to beat you. I’ve been knowing you for 22 years, and you ain’t got beat yet one time.” — just a couple of sound-bites from the walking quote machine and Minnesota’s new head coach, Sam Mitchell.
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